SMACK That | SocialExcerpts

SoEx

January 30, 2012

Once the capital city of India, Kolkata (formerly known as ‘Calcutta’) now lags behind most metro cities in terms of development. Entwined with culture, the city of joy has failed to keep pace with the changing times. To put Kolkata back on the social media map of India (and the world) SocialF5 took up an initiative to form a Social Media Activity Club of Kolkata (SMACK).

The Kolkata edition of ’Social Media Breakfast with TwitSnaps’ (SMBTS) was conducted by the Kolkata office of Compare Infobase Ltd. After 65 successful interactive sessions, where participants brainstormed about the latest happenings in Social Media, SMBTS came to an end. To keep the legacy on, SMACK was conceived by SocialF5 founder, owner – Sanjib (better known on social media platforms as isanzc) who used to be a regular attendee/speaker in SMBTS.

SMACK held its first meet up at SocialF5 office on Saturday 21 January. Attended by 7 people, featuring participants from both SocialF5 & CIL, it was definitely a good start. The topic for discussion was “What is Social Media and why would anyone need it?” The session kick started with participants discussing the differences between traditional media and social media, the evolution of online media over time and why Social Media has become indispensible now.

Using the platforms of Twitter and Facebook, SMACK session was opened to Social Media enthusiasts all over the world. Using the hashtag #smackmg various users posted their views on SM and its relevance in our daily lives.

Those who participated in the interactive session agreed that two way dissemination of information set Social Media apart from traditional media. Communication, conversation, engagement matter a lot online. Social Media has succeeded in bridging the divide between people. Everyone is connected online. Content is king. Generation of unique content and sharing with the right network of people could make one an influencer online. However, the growth of SM in India would also depend on the penetration of internet into the masses. Creating awareness among people was seen as an important objective at the first meetup of SMACK.

Some key comments made during SMACK’s meetup was –

Sujatha from CIL, (@sujatha21):

“Social Media has shrunk the world. Everyone is connected online.”

Susmit from CIL, (@susmit76):

“Value addition is important to be influential on social media. Mere presence won’t help.”

Agnivo from SocialF5, (@aagan86):

“Communication, conversation, engagement matter a lot on social media.”

Shilpa from CIL, (@shilps31):

“There is no immediate return on social media. The premium we pay is time.”

Samudranil from CIL, (@samun14):

“Information gathering, knowledge sharing are the reasons why a person would come to social media platforms.”

Sanjib from SocialF5, (@isanzc):

“IMHO, ‘Social media presence’ cannot be equated with ‘presence of social media profiles’…”

People engaged and participated via Twitter too, with Gaurav (@pathfyynder) saying:

“Social Media campaign should be honest, upfront and transparent. You can’t fool people here.”

And Cijo Abraham Mani (@cijoaj2003) stating:

“Social Media is the fast way to gather and share information. Information gathering & sharing is essential in modern world.”

Aninda (@dasaninda) and Sumana (@_anamus) also supported the event & raised interesting questions like “Where do you see online media 10 years from now?” and “Is social media helping brands to get more localized? If so, how?”, during the event, which were eventually answered by the SocialF5 team.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. With the help and support of people, SMACK can truly create ripples in the social media scene of Kolkata. The enthusiasm of people on the first day indicates sunny days ahead.

Are you coming to the next meetup of SMACK, scheduled on 29 January 2012?